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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27794632">Unsteady Thoughts</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SolarisRasa/pseuds/SolarisRasa'>SolarisRasa</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Gunman!Alec to the Rescue [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Shadowhunters (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Abduction, Alec with a gun, Blood, Gun Violence, Hurt Alec, Kidnapping, Lot of death, M/M, mob</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 15:02:33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,203</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27794632</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SolarisRasa/pseuds/SolarisRasa</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Magnus is more aware this time, no strange drugs in his system impair his ability to understand what’s happening to him. He’s getting sick of being captured, but this time his enemies really seem to have made mistakes.</p><p>Lucky for him, Alexander is an even better shot now and more than willing to cut a path to his husband. </p><p>AKA the return of Alec with a Gun</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Gunman!Alec to the Rescue [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2033491</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>162</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Unsteady Thoughts</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I've been feeling horribly uninspired lately but then uh, a song and this happened so hey! Neat! Get's a tiny bit dark at the end and the characterization is not my best but fuck it. <br/>Give Alec a Gun 2kInfinity</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Magnus is more aware this time, no strange drugs in his system impair his ability to understand what’s happening to him. He’s getting sick of being captured, but this time his enemies really seem to have made mistakes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mundanes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not clueless ones that he could deal with in a snap, unfortunately. These mundanes came prepared to deal with a warlock of Magnus’ caliber. They have him locked in a complex series of wards and symbols, made originally to contain a greater demon and only slightly modified to account for his human half. He isn’t sure why they want him and it’s fairly irritating.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If they just asked, he might’ve been willing to do whatever it is they want. They should </span>
  <em>
    <span>know </span>
  </em>
  <span>that, too. He had come to this villa, in the beautiful wine country of Tuscany, because someone had wanted to hire him. Now, of course, he was stuck in an empty room on the third floor, too far from the windows to see more than the changing light as the day faded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mr. Bane.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Right. He turned with a lazy raise of his eyebrows to face the Italian man who addressed him. The thick New York accent told him that he wouldn’t have to worry about using his rough Italian to communicate with his captors.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My boss is asking you to call off your attackers.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus’ brows valiantly tried to rise further, “Excuse me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man shifted, irritated, “Look, I’m sure you can use the same magic you used to tell them where to find you to tell them to back off. The boss isn’t happy about the mess they’re making at the south end of the property and it would be in their best interests to leave.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I do love things messy.” Magnus said, idly pacing his prison of symbols.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mr. Bane-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s enough Vanni. He’s not going to do what I ask, even if it is generous to give him the chance.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Another, younger, man stepped fully into the room, his shirt a pale blue, his slacks perfectly pressed just a shade darker. Artful gold chains draped over his chest and he had a faint layer of eyeliner on. He too had a thick New York accent.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He tucked one hand into his pocket and eyed Magnus who hummed, “At least the boss appears to have a sense of style. Love that in a bad guy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t need to be the bad guy here, Mr. Bane. Your friends don’t have to die and you and I can come to an agreement, I’m sure. Nobody wants this to go too far.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus scuffed the floor next to the ward line, “Our definitions don’t seem to match, Mr. The Boss.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man shrugged, “Call me Vincente. I can imagine that our measures seem too much, but we weren’t sure what to expect with a wizard and all. Now, call them off, please.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus snorted, “Would love to, Vinny, really, but I have no idea who is out there or how they figured out I was here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He definitely had an idea of who it might be, but he wasn’t about to tell Vicente that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright. I’ll believe it, for now. I’ll even tell my men to go for a knockout instead of a kill, show of goodwill, okay?” Vincente jerked his head at the other man, “Giovanni, spread the word.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Giovanni left in a hurry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If they are friends of mine, I’m not terribly worried about them. Now, what do you want me for? I know I’m terribly good-looking but I don’t have time to be a living decoration, I’m a very busy </span>
  <em>
    <span>wizard.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Vicente shook his head, pacing, “No, that would be a waste of your power, and, no offense, I’m strictly into people with vagina’s.” He paused for second, “Unless you can-” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus laughed, “Pass”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vicente’s gaze roamed over him with a little more interest but ultimately he let it go and Magnus assumed he’d taken note of the silver wedding ring. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know the mob lost a great deal of ground in New York in the late nineties? We used to run that city, we kept things pretty tight to, but a few deals here and there, a politician decides his platform is gonna be “cleaning up the streets” and we were the dirt that needed washed away.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus rolls his eyes, “Yes. Every crime syndicate faces it eventually, the curse of an ever connected world, hard to hide misdeeds, unless you’re the ones who are supposed to be stopping them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right!” Vincente’s eyes lit up, “The bastards in charge of America are hiding more than just the skeletons from a few bad deals. At least I wouldn’t be pedalling </span>
  <em>
    <span>kids-</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus, now a father with two young children and a whole new layer of perspective on the problems the mundanes allowed to fester, cut him off, “What does this have to do with me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, we figured with a little magic on our side we could move back in.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus stared at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You really don’t get this whole “wizard” thing. Do you even know who I </span>
  <em>
    <span>am?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Magnus Bane. Our source said you were the High Warlock of Brooklyn until some upstart took it from you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus fingered the simple arrow necklace he was wearing, “Did your source also tell you anything about the shadow world?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vicente shifted uncomfortably, “Might’ve.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did he tell you about the Shadowhunters?” Magnus picked a loose thread from the sleeve of his green shirt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They sound like cops, but so what? They only go after demons.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your source must not have been well informed. They don’t just go after demons, though that is their main duty, they back the downworld now and they are more than willing to put in the work needed to keep mundanes safe from other mundanes too. You try and move back into New York and the Shadowhunter stronghold there will end you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vicente looked uneasy, “Not with your help. C’mon, I know you don’t like them either, I know all about how they treat people like you, I heard plenty of stories. You could help me and I could help you, we could end those bastards.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You really need a new source.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The door was shoved open again, Giovanni breathing hard, “Boss! They’ve made it to the front. They’ve got swords and whips!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vicente made a disgusted sound but Magnus was already grinning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ve got guns.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Giovanni swallowed, “Well so does one of them!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He yanked a tablet out of his bag and held it out to Vicente who stared down at it, the tinny sound of gunshots coming through, before flipping it to face Magnus.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Friends of yours?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was easy to forget, with how devoted to peace he was and how diplomatic he could be, that Alec Lightwood was </span>
  <em>
    <span>dangerous.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus would like to say he doesn’t forget, but well…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alexander has a reputation as a salty, stone-cold politician, an often sassy and determined friend, a stern but warm father, and a lover with the softest, most adoring nature. Magnus gets to regularly see these sides of him, but mostly he gets the warm man who loves his family and laughs at bad jokes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It shouldn’t surprise him when Alexander comes in with literal guns blazing. Again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>On the screen his husband, dressed in tight dark jeans, a gray shirt, and a leather jacket, kicked a man away just in time to raise his gun a fire into another attacker’s chest. Jace, Isabelle, and Clary flank him, seraph blades gleaming and Izzy’s whip a flash on the screen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like I said, you need a new informant.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vicente’s upper lip curled, “They don’t have magic, what are they?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus laughed, “Shadowhunters. The best of them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why would they be coming for you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, Vinny. You’ve really bitten off more than you can chew. I would never help you move back into New York and outside of holding me hostage, there’s nothing you can do to me, but I thought you at least knew a little more about who you were crossing. I’m quite the power you know, High Warlock of Alicante and all, but the person you </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>have to watch out for is my husband.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The three of them watched Alec storm through another room and Vincente repeated, “Your husband.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alexander Lightwood, High Inquisitor, skilled Shadowhunter, decent cook, devastatingly gorgeous and incredible with his tongue.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec methodically dropped his empty clip, sliding the new one from the back pocket of his jeans and locking it in place as he pressed tight to a wall. Jace was a few steps ahead, the ring of his blade hitting a gun from a mundane’s hand was loud. Most of their opponents had fallen back toward the upper floors of the house.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec took a steady breath and stepped around the wall, right hand lifting the glock and left coming up in a smooth practiced move. He had quietly admitted to Magnus that he’d decided to take a class on gun safety and get licensed to carry after an action movie marathon got him to thinking about the potential uses of a gun. Adamas was needed to kill demons and gunpowder was not a pretty addition to the holy metal, so it was meant to be purely theoretical. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He squeezed a shot off before the woman on the stairs could, her own weapon aimed at Izzy’s back. He’s pretty glad he decided to get really, really good at this. Firing a gun isn’t like his bow at all but it was satisfying to do well in a shooting range, whatever the weapon. After Magnus and the other’s were captured and held where only mundane weapons worked, Alec had spent more hours honing his ability as a gunman.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He led them up the stairs, the flicker of Clary’s red braid giving him the mark of where she was at his back as they moved.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a pulse of warning from the Parabatai bond and Alec’s head jerked up, his bullet connected with a man’s forehead the floor above, and they kept moving.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The second floor was nearly empty, just a few men stationed at the stairs and Izzy disarmed them so fast Alec didn't pause to deal with them. Jace and Clary could decide if they wanted to kill them or not.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was an unspoken agreement when they reached the villa perimeter and Alec had opted for his gun, anyone between him and Magnus didn’t have to be spared. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A cluster of people on the third floor told him where they were holding his husband, the thread of their soulbond, still new, pulled him. The group turned toward him as he shot one and the crack of Izzy’s whip as it snapped past him to wrap around the closest man.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec took a breath, he was going to have to be fast. The element of surprise helped but there were still a lot of guns being grabbed. Izzy manifested her staff but dropped back so they couldn’t shoot her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec fired off a couple more shots, walking forward as he did. Of the six left only two had guns out, the others were either unarmed or were panicking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a hot burn across the top of his shoulder and he heard Izzy shout his name, but he was already returning fire. The man who had shot at him dropped and then he was on them, he grabbed the woman aiming at him by the elbow and bent her arm viciously, forcing her down and pressing his gun to her forehead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vicente, sweat beaded on his forehead, was not terribly bright.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus normally was a little more charitable toward mundanes who thought they were just dipping a toe into the shadow world only to find themselves in the deep end instead. Normally those mundanes ran away, but Vicente had opted for overreacting instead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In this case that meant that he pulled Magnus to the back edge of the warding, one arm wrapped in the back of Magnus’ hair, holding his head tight enough to the magical walls that the back of his neck was burning, and a gun pressed to his back. Blood trickled uncomfortably from his temple where it kept grazing the wards.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Giovanni had been given the unfortunate job of guarding the door. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The door swung open. A man’s body, the back of his head blown out, slumped through it and Magnus cringed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Giovanni took a step forward, gun lowering just slightly, and Alexander stepped into the doorframe, feet neatly on either side of the corpse. He fired a singly shot before Giovanni could move and Magnus watched the body drop.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Vanni!”     </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vicente yanked Mangus' head back and the wards crackled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t. One more step and I kill the wizard.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Vinny, you’re-” Magnus winced, “an idiot.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You okay?” Alexander asked, gaze locked on Vicente, gun raised. Magnus swallowed, “Great, darling.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jace, Clary, and Izzy came in on either side of Alec and Vicente pushed the gun harder into Magnus’ back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Going to have a bruise if Vincente here pushes his gun any harder, at least I would hope that’s your gun?” Magnus glanced at Vincente.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man was pale, his eyes a little wild and Magnus knew, if he didn’t figure out how to de-escalate or disarm him Vincente was going to do something dumber than he already had. Namely he was going to put a new hole in Magnus.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Chase, Biscuit, lovely Isabelle! All of you just for little ol’ me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t get a big head about it, none of us wanted to put up with Alec’s grumpy ass if something happened to you.” Jace drawled, twirling his blade. It was a good show but the way he inched a little closer to Alexander was too telling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aw, I knew you cared.” Magnus bit out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vincente’s voice was shaky, “Back out of the room, shut the door and wait for one minute. Let me go and I won’t hurt anyone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No.” Alexander’s voice was cold and Magnus finally looked at his husband properly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec’s features were sharp with the anger his blank expression was hiding, his hands were perfectly steady, his breathing even. Everything about him was controlled, even the frozen steel of his voice and the hard depth of his eyes, but Magnus knew better. Alexander was worried.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vicente laughed desperately, “No? You want me to blow his fuckin’ guts everywhere? Huh? I know you’re his husband, you wanna watch that? I should do it anyway, you killed my guys, you didn’t even have to but you did. I told them not to kill you if they didn’t have to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really felt like it.” Izzy chimed in sarcastically.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus was glad to see that Clary was examining the symbols on the floor as the others talked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If we leave you alone we have no guarantee what will happen to Magnus. Step away from him now.” Alexander ordered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What, so you can shoot me? No, no, you leave and then I’ll leave.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus hissed as his cheek burned against the wards but didn’t react otherwise, too focused on Clary. She was subtly scrubbing her boot over a symbol, the paint rubbing as she did. He tuned out the argument, wholly focused on Clary’s work.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as she broke the lines the burn against his skin flickered and faded and he threw a shield around himself, shoving Vincente back and preventing him from firing at anyone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The whiplash of his magic immediately sent him to his knees and he took a sharp breath. The pulse of his power reconnecting to the world beyond the room unsettling him enough that it was difficult to focus. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alexander strode past him, yanking Vincente off the floor where he was trying to crawl away. He shoved the sobbing man against the wall, his dark eyes fierce and his voice gone low.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I should let you live, so you can warn away others...but I think they’ll get my message.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus swayed and Jace was kneeling beside him, Isabelle and Clary coming cautiously closer as Alec made a show of pulling his clip out to reveal one bullet left.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His husband’s proficiency was intoxicating that the best of times and Magnus couldn’t deny that watching him fight his way through on the screen had been unfairly hot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alec-” Isabelle started, but Clary caught her arm and something seemed to pass between them because Isabelle stepped back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vincente whimpered as Alexander grabbed his chin, tapping the barrel of his gun to the man’s lips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He tilted his head enough to look at Magnus, “Magnus?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He wanted me to help the mob move back into New York.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alexander nodded and pushed the gun against Vincente’s teeth so Magnus quickly added, “Until he was cornered he didn’t hurt me, he really did try to have me call you all off. He didn’t know, Alexander, he’s just a mundane. I can wipe anything, you don’t have to do this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alexander stepped back, gun dropping to his side, “Get out of here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turned toward Magnus, the harsh lines of his face softening and Magnus offered a smile, his damaged cheek twinging.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alec!” Jace said sharply.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vicente had grabbed his own gun again and he fired a single shot as Alec turned sharply back toward him. He stumbled and Magnus’ world roared around him in terror.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alexander took a couple steps, shoving his gun against Vincente’s eye and pulling the trigger. Viscera splattered against the wall. Magnus tracked Alexander though, uncaring of the carnage his husband had proven capable of.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turned, a red bloom on his left side and looked at Magnus with wide eyes, “Sorry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus shook his head but Alexander was already falling as Jace lurched forward to catch him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec woke with a low ache spreading through his whole body. He smiled, despite the pain, as he realized he was in his own bed, Magnus’ soft breathing beside him. Jace was sitting in a chair next to their bed, reading calmly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jace shut his book with exaggerated slowness, “Hey man. How do mundane bullet’s feel?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mmm, worse than ichor burns but nothing on Ravener stings.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well the worry factor was pretty intense.” Jace came to stand closer and Alec reached for his hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Everything get cleaned up?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jace nodded, “Yeah. The paperwork was a nightmare and I had to do some creative wording to explain the number of casualties. Isabelle’s hiring a therapist for all of us, apparently Simon heard the story and went on a rant, so she’s forcing us all to go to at least one session."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec groaned, “Fine. I’m sure Magnus has words for me too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He does.” Magnus said gently and Alec squeezed Jace’s hand once before he turned to his husband.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can I hear them after a kiss?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus smiled tenderly and pulled him close, mindful of the aches, “Alright. But maybe, no more guns?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec rubbed their noses together, aware vaguely of Jace tactfully, for once, leaving, “I can live with that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh?” Magnus hummed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then they were pressing together, Magnus’ lips a warm balm to Alec’s tired soul.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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